The Tangled Hanging Tree
by Forever-Tangled
Summary: Based on "The Hanging Tree" song from the Hunger Games books. (Note that the movie's song has 'rope' changed to 'hope' if you get confused). AU in which Tangled is placed in the 1920s - one shot. Rated T for character death and suicide. Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the laptop I'm writing this on.


**So I was reading the _The Hunger Games_ trilogy awhile back and decided to mash "The Hanging Tree" up with an AU of _Tangled_ in which they're placed in the 1920s. Rapunzel's name is changed to Rebecca. Don't read this if you don't want to read character death, or a sentence or two about the "Wear a necklace of rope/side by side with me" line from the song. You've been warned! Also, this isn't supposed to follow the song exactly - it's tweaked to work with the back story I provide. It's supposed to be a bit vague, like the song, but I hope it's not _too_ vague! Probably not one of my best works, but I've had this idea in my head and it won't leave unless I write this, so...here you go. Constructive criticism gladly welcomed!  
**

* * *

The young girl ran as fast as her skinny legs would carry her, the rough brown skirt of her cheap dress scratching at her skin. One week ago, she'd been a witness to the murders of three people- two men and one woman. So had her beau, Eugene. They'd simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Out for a walk in the middle of summer, for Pete's sake! But now the mob who had committed the murders was after them both. She was already late to meeting Eugene at their predetermined location and she couldn't let him go to Cincinnati without her! Her mind swerved back to their discussion a few days ago, reminding her about the importance of this meeting.  
 _"Run. Run as fast and as hard as you can. You can't get mixed up in this too, Rebecca!"  
"But I was with you when it happened! If you go, I go! I don't care what my parents say! They don't care about me!" she cried. Eugene's brown eyes were panicked. The mob was coming for him and she knew it. He just wasn't telling her. He was too protective of her.  
"No. No, listen. You can't-" he gave her shoulders a small shake to try and force his point.  
"Yes, I can! Please," she felt her green eyes well with tears. He didn't have anyone, and she...wasn't in the best home in the world. They only had each other in this great big world. Surely they could escape these thugs. The mobs were dreadful around this town...they could get away. Somewhere.  
He sighed, licking his lips and brushing a lock of her long blond hair out of her dirty, freckled face. "Okay. We'll...we'll meet a mile south of the hanging tree on Friday...midnight. Go to Cincinnati. We can hop a few trains and get there in a few days' time. Get out of the West. Think we can?" he asked.  
She mulled it over in her mind for a few moments. "I'll be there," she finally announced. He'd pulled her into his arms and kissed her before leaving.  
_

Coming back to reality, she tripped, her small burlap bag containing her only worldly possessions spilling across the tall yellowy grass.  
"No, no, _no_!" she howled in frustration, calming her trembling hands and heavy breathing in order to shove everything back in the bag and pull herself together. She picked herself back up and ran, ignoring the protests of her liquid-y calves. She skirted carefully around the hanging tree - she couldn't afford to be caught by that mob.

Eugene wasn't there.

She was exactly one mile south of the hanging tree and very good at judging distance. Maybe Eugene was running late, but she doubted it. He'd never be late, especially not when their lives hung in the balance. Had he already given up on her and left? She yearned to know exactly what time it was! She waited, pulling her crochet shawl from her bag and wrapping it around her thin frame. And she waited.

And...she waited. After an hour or more passed, she wasn't sure how to feel. She knew this was important. If he'd needed to run, it was okay, so long as he was safe. She normally would try to continue to Cincinnati, but she had no clue where to even go! And something was off - she felt it in her bones. But nonetheless, she began trudging back.

About a football field's length away from the hanging tree, a group was gathered; numerous men were whooping and shrieking. A figure swung gently from side to side, dangling from the hanging tree. Rebecca immediately flattened to the ground, her stomach dropping to her toes. She had to wait until that mob left before she could go on. A dark feeling coated her concerning the person on the other end of that rope.

An agonizing twenty minutes passed in which Rebecca could practically feel the ticks crawling onto her and digging into her flesh. She watched the mob from between blades of tall grass, waiting until the very last flickering torch couldn't be seen. Then she scooped up her burlap bag, took a deep breath, and forced herself towards the tree, her stomach churning and her heart pounding. She hated being around _death_...but she had to know.

She couldn't see well, so she fumbled around in her burlap bag for some matches and then found a dead limb near the tree, likely shaken loose by the figure's struggle. After she tore part of her skirt off and wrapped it around the end of the limb and lit it, she peered upwards at the figure's face.  
She shrieked and her knees gave out. She very nearly dropped the makeshift torch, but came to her senses and tamped it out before she allowed herself to bury her face in her hands.  
Eugene Fitzherbert was dead.  
He'd almost made it. He had to have been waiting for her - if she hadn't been running late, he'd still be alive and they'd be on their way to the nearest train to Cincinnati! She sobbed uncontrollably. It was her fault. All her fault. He'd waited for her because _she_ had begged him to. Now he was dead because of her.

She didn't know how much time passed as she sat in the grass weeping. Then, she felt cold and emotionless as she sat staring at Eugene's lifeless body. He wasn't coming back. His bright smiles, teasing, gorgeous brown eyes...a light had been snuffed from this jaded world, and she'd been the cause of it. The sun was just creeping over the horizon when she found the pile of old ropes near the woods line, the ones from previous victims that had yet to be burned. And so she wore a necklace of rope side by side with him.


End file.
